HADLEY — Cost estimates to build a new senior center are twice as high — at $7.1 million — than first thought, a figure the Council on Aging director says will be whittled down considerably before Thursday night’s special Town Meeting.
Originally, the town’s Municipal Building Committee said it would cost around $3.5 million to build a center that could replace its current home within the deteriorating Hooker School.
When they learned of the new estimate last week from project manager Colliers International, the Council on Aging leadership was shocked, said Director Suzanne Travisano.
Still, Travisano said, she’s working to bring the cost back down.
“We decided based on their square footage cost, we could make it work for $5.3 million,” she said Wednesday. “The need for a single-story senior center is greater than ever. All the other variables that change — that’s something that hasn’t.”
Article 7, Travisano said, will be amended on Town Meeting floor to adjust for the increase. She said the Council on Aging will ask for $5.3 million — not $7.1 million, which she said would be a “fiscally irresponsible” request given the other town projects — to get the job done.
“We were given the professional estimates late and we’re being fiscally responsible and trying to live within the means while being considerate of the other needs of the town,” she said. “All my seniors are thrilled that we’re moving forward and they’re looking forward to having a new building.”
The article comes to Town Meeting because 600 residents signed a petition on the measure.
Travisano said the push for a new building began mounting in recent years as the old Hooker School building continues to deteriorate. The building has no air conditioning and poor heating, she said, as well as large holes in the walls and ceilings. Travisano said water has even leaked onto the seniors as they try to exercise in the building’s basement.
Seniors without transportation to Town Meeting on Thursday can call the Council on Aging at 413-586-4023 before 4 p.m. for assistance.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.